One Love Ties Perry Hall Lax Team Together

One year after the tragic death of 22-year-old Yeardley Reynolds Love, student-athletes were playing the sport she cherished while raising money for causes that memorialize her giving spirit.

During Thursday night’s Perry Hall High School varsity girls’ lacrosse game—the Gators’ regular-season finale—T-shirts, bracelets and bumper stickers were sold to benefit the One Love Foundation, a charitable, nonprofit group organized by Love’s family.

“I told the kids that we were going to play one charity game this season, and that I was going to let them pick the charity,” Coach Laura Britton said. “They immediately came back with the One Love Foundation because it crosses over from the lacrosse community and touches our own community, too.”

Love, a Cockeysville resident, wore the No. 1 on her jersey while playing lacrosse for both Notre Dame Preparatory School in Towson and the University of Virginia. The One Love Foundation was established in September 2010, four months after Love was found murdered in her UVa dorm room.

Last month, 23-year-old George W. Huguely V, a Chevy Chase resident described as Love’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, was indicted by a grand jury on six charges, including first-degree murder.

Sharon Love, Yeardley’s mother, has been the driving force behind the One Love Foundation. She has described the mission of the foundation as encouraging children and young adults to exemplify the “four qualities of character that Yeardley exemplified—service, kindness, humility and sportsmanship.”

Thursday’s effort at Perry Hall High School raised more than $300 for the foundation. Past proceeds have already been used to fund a high school scholarship, to support the construction of a three-sport turf field on the Notre Dame Prep campus and to create an “Unsung Hero” award for Atlantic Coast Conference college lacrosse players.

The foundation has also launched fundraising efforts for a program that would introduce youth lacrosse into underprivileged communities. A stipulation of participating in the program is that players would also be required to volunteer time to aid the elderly.

“We just are overwhelmed by people’s kindness,” said Sharon Love, who attended Thursday’s game and welcomed hugs from each of the Perry Hall players afterward. “We really didn’t know anybody here before tonight, but they reached out to us to support a cause that we think is pretty important. It’s just so nice of the girls.”

The players said they were touched to have Sharon Love address them after the game. “She was just really happy we took the time to do this,” said Rebecca Himes, Perry Hall’s senior co-captain. Himes was once part of a club lacrosse team that Yeardley Love had played on. “I didn’t know her personally, but I heard everybody saying how great a person she was,” Himes said.

Taylor O’Connor, another co-captain, added that it felt good to help coordinate Thursday’s fund-raiser. “We were so happy to have it turn out like it did, and hope to have this continue as a Perry Hall girls’ lacrosse tradition,” she said.

The T-shirt, which read “Lax for Love” on the back, was designed by Fallston High School senior Abigayle Wilson, a friend of some of the Gators players.

The Perry Hall team also came up with a cheer—each time they broke from a sideline huddle, they raised their lacrosse sticks and shouted, “1 … 2 … 3 … Love!”

As for the game itself, Perry Hall scored an 11-2 victory over the visiting Urbana Hawks. “We were all really psyched,” Himes said. “It was exciting to play not just for ourselves but for Yeardley.”

Carly Zurek, Brittney Palardy and Lauren Vandaniker each scored a pair of goals for the Gators. Goalie Makenzie Pittillo made several tough saves early in the game and, working together with Perry Hall’s swarming defense, shut out Urbana’s attack throughout the second half.

The team finished the regular season with a 7-5 record and will probably learn on Monday who the team will face in the regional tournament, which begins next Thursday. At that time, Perry Hall’s players expect to use the “1 … 2 … 3 … Love!” cheer once again.

“It helps with their intensity,” Britton said. “They came up with that cheer, and they’re going to keep using it now!”

For more information about the One Love Foundation: www.joinonelove.org